BAGHDAD - A US military sniper has been acquitted of murder charges linked to the killing of three Iraqis earlier this year but jailed for other offences, the US military said on Saturday.
Staff Sergeant Michael Hensley was found not guilty of premeditated murder during a general court martial held on Thursday at Camp Victory, a large US military base near Baghdad airport, it said in a statement.
Hensley, a sniper and scout platoon sergeant, was on trial for the deaths of three Iraqis during missions between April 14 and May 11 in the town of Jurf al-Sakhr and on April 27 in Abu Shemsi.
The military said he was, however, found guilty of "wrongfully placing an AK-47 rifle with the remains of the Iraqi man who died during the May 11 mission."
Hensley, who was also found guilty of disrespect to a superior officer, was sentenced to 135 days in prison and a demotion to the rank of sergeant, it added.
Since the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, the US military has been rocked by a number of scandals involving soldiers accused of killing Iraqis unlawfully.
jds/bpz/hc
11/10/2007 14:50 GMT